It's a little scary
by Neospector
Summary: A certain Octoling finds herself trapped in Inkopolis. Sometimes our greatest fear is a tangible object, sometimes our greatest fear is simply being alone. AKA, the obligatory "Agent 3/Octoling" pairing because let's face it, Octolings are adorable. Cover art is タコゾネス (Takozonesu) by Maiyan of Pixiv, check them out, if you're capable of actually using Pixiv, unlike the rest of us.
1. Chapter 1

Heishi thumbed the trigger of her weapon. To calm herself down, she used something she had been doing for a long time; she recited her name under her breath:

"Heishi Senso..."

Heishi Senso the Octoling, to be precise. 5th highest ranking in her squad of eight, particularly good at close-quarters combat. She wore the signiture goggles and armor required for this mission. Octavio had been defeated a couple months ago, and although it wasn't all that common, the remainder of his loyal troops, which were declining at this point, staged a big invasion attempt every once in a while.

This time, the target was Moray towers.

Heishi sighed. She didn't want to go on this mission. She questioned why they were using a zapfish as bait if Agent 3 was just going to take it back, leaving them with nothing. It was this sass that got her positioned right by the zapfish as defense.

The little yellow catfish was perched on top of one of the Inkling's spawn points for the map, which was on a platform above the rest of the map. Heishi had been positioned on the ledge two levels below it on the right and instructed to, in her superior's own words, "stop the Agent...if he even gets there, that is! BUAHAHAHAHAHA!"

She may or may not have exaggerated the maniac laughter.

Several sounds of ink being fired snapped Heishi out of her thoughts. Static filled her ears accompanied by vague cries of surprise and the sounds of splatting. Followed by an eerie silence.

Heishi became very, very eyes darted around. She decided on hiding behind a large, inflatable obstacle that was used to create a choke point and cover during the Inkling turf wars. The sounds of ink being fired came closer, and closer. She peeked out from behind the inflatable. The agent had his back turned and was looking around. This was it...

She took a deep breath, and tackled the Inkling.

He landed on the edge of the platform with an "oof", his Hero Shot went skittering along the edge. Heishi put her foot on his chest, pointed her Octoshot at his face, and spoke in the most commanding voice she could muster.

"H-Ha! Got you Agent 3"

She mentally winced at her words, but they seemed to get the point across. The Inkling glared daggers at her and growled.

Heishi was estatic. She had actually caught the agent who had been ruining their plans from day one. It wasn't one of those troopers without a humanoid form, it wasn't one of the Octostrikers who laze around in their UFOs, nope, it was her, she had don-

"Stupid octo-jerk"

"Eh?" Heishi gave a confused look.

"You!" The headset-wearing Inkling spat. "Stupid zapfish theives."

"Wha...you stole them first!"

"No we didn't!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Whatever!" The Inkling growled. "Are you going to drop me?"

"Huh?"

"You got me cornered on the ledge." He shifted, she pressed a bit more of her weight onto him. "If you're gonna drop me off the towers then do it already." He bared his fangs.

Heishi didn't notice. Her thoughts ran a bit slowly.

"Drop...towers..."

Out of curiosity, she glanced down, past the Inkling on the floor.

Moray Towers is very high up.

Heishi remembered why she didn't want to go on this mission.

"H-high..."

"Huh?"

"H-high..."

Heishi wobbled, then everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

Agent 3 was having a weird day.

Not that his days were ever really normal, what with the whole secret agent deal, but today was extra weird.

It had started out normal- in the broadest sense of the word- when he had been called by the Captain to stop another Octoling invasion. He had made it to Moray Towers and had gotten through the first few lines of defense in no time flat.

He did not, however, expect an Octoling to capture him. Yet one was here, pointing a real Octoshot at his head, which was just barely hanging off the ledge. She had kicked his Hero Shot some feet away and had one foot on his chest to keep him from getting up.

"You!" He spat. "Stupid zapfish thieves."

"Wha..." She sputtered. "You stole them first!"

"No we didn't!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Whatever!" He growled. He snuck a sidelong glance at the road down below him. "Are you going to drop me?" If she was going to get rid of him, she might as well do it quickly.

"Huh?" She looked puzzled, as much as he could tell considering her face was obscured by her goggles.

"You got me cornered on the ledge." He explained. He felt a pressure on his chest. "If you're going to drop me off the towers then do it already." He tried baring his fangs for added effect, but felt like an idiot.

"Drop...towers..." The Octoling mused.

He stared at her and gave up on the fang baring.

"H-high..."

"Huh?"

"H-high..."

The agent was confused for a moment before she began falling towards him limply.

"Woah!" He caught her by her sides and heaved the two of them up with all his might. She flopped weakly on the ground in front of him, seemingly unconcious, and he took that time to scramble to his feet and grab his Hero Shot.

He cautiously made his way over to the figure lying half on her side, and pointed the gun at her.

After some seconds, he lifted it away. He ought to have splatted her, then and there. There was no garuntee she was even passed out, she could be faking it! But for some reason he felt like leaving her be.

"Just to be safe, though..."

He set his gun aside and knelt before her. He picked up her Octoshot, and with a grunt, snapped the narrow barrel. For extra measure, he unstrapped her ink tank and smashed it against a pole.

Now there was absolutely no way she could attack anyone. No ink, no weapon, no problem.

Still, he couldn't really help himself. He reached towards her face, and pulled off her goggles. Her eyes were marked with purple markings, similar to a sea anemone's eye markings, but he didn't really notice. He stared at the goggles with curiosity for a second, then hooked the goggles onto one of the hooks on his armor jacket.

A souveneir, he decided.

Then he went to free the zapfish, as usual.

* * *

Heishi awoke when it was dark. There were dim lights on top of the towers and from the surrounding freeway and buildings, but not much to see by. She panicked for a bit before repeating her name to calm herself down.

"Heishi Senso...Heishi Senso...Heishi Senso..."

Once a bit more calm, she tried to figure out what happened. She had Agent 3, she had won, and then she...passed out from the fear of being so high off the ground. Her hands glued themselves to the ground as she tried not to have another panic attack. Passing out again would do absolutely nothing. She glanced around and squinted to see in the dim light, which caused her first surprise in that her goggles were missing. She briefly felt her face where the goggles used to rest before resuming her scan of the surrounding area. She managed to pick out the shape of- what used to be- her ink tank and her Octoshot, both of which were unusable. She resolved to stand up, and try and head back home.

After a few minutes of convincing herself, she did so, and started the trek up to where the zapfish had been held. The Octarians had managed to connect the respawn pad to one of the kettles in Octo Valley, it was how they got out to these invasions. They usually placed the zapfish container on top, as a defensive maneuver to prevent the Inklings from sneaking from behind. To Heishi's horror, however, the zapfish container was now gone; cleared out of the way, probably by Agent 3.

Heishi briefly wondered why he didn't splat her, but didn't dwell on it, as she had a much more difficult task ahead; getting onto the respawn pad. The Moray Tower pads were built on metal structures some feet above the highest ledge of the towers. Which meant they were not just high, they were very, very high up. Heishi gulped, and, shutting her eyes tight, gripped the scaffolding, and climbed.

It was only a few feet, but to Heishi it felt like a few miles, and she finally collapsed on the top of the metal structure, and glanced to her right.

Her worst fears were realized. The respawn pad was a dull gray color, no light peaked out from it. That meant it was shut down. Closed.

No way back to Octo Valley. Heishi behand to panic, and in the state of things, stared directly across the stage to the other platform.

Where she saw, letting out a small gasp, a small, dim, orange light.

The other respawn pad. The one Agent 3 came out of.

She quickly scrambled down the scaffold and, with a mix of fear and relief, ran the entire long way to the other side of the stage.

Panting and out of breath, she stared at the orange light on the scaffold above her, and began to climb.

"Wait...this is the pad Agent 3 used..."

Agent 3...an Inkling...

"Inkopolis..." The smile on her face faded as she weighed her options.

She could stay here, or she could head through the respawn pad.

Someone might come and get her if she waited, but if they didn't or, more likely, couldn't, then she'd be there until morning. Some Inkling or Jellyfish or other stray resident of the tower would unlock the tower for the turf war...if they had one on that day, which wasn't garunteed...she might be locked up there for a while, with no food and no shelter...and when they did find her, she was liable to be splatted on sight. And she had no way of knowing if she would respawn in Octo Valley at all, if she respawned at all...

On the other hand, there was definitely a way to get to Octo Valley through Inkopolis...if Agent 3 could get there, then so could she. It would probably be heavily guarded, or something, with lots of people. But if she could sneak by...somehow...but it would be dangerous.

Her stomach growled. She considered that, if she was going to be splatted, it would be best to have it done quickly. She really didn't want to know what dying of starvation or dehydration felt like, but it was probably a lot more painful than just getting splatted outright.

She touched the respawn pad, which proceeded to switch to a deep magenta color. She dipped into her octopus form, and slipped down into the pad with a gurgle.

The respawn pad bubbled slightly, and then shut off for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

In a corner of Inkopolis plaza, between the Tower and a small, closed-for-the -night coffee shop, sat a lone sewer grate.

It opened up a crack.

Heishi peeked out into the dim lighting. She had taken a wrong turn somewhere or something after entering the respawn pad and wound up in a sewer. Not that it was entirely a bad thing, at least she hadn't landed anywhere crowded.

To her dismay, there was still a handful of people roaming about the plaza this late at night, even from what she could see with her limited view. She slowly lifted the grate and hopped onto the street, before silently closing it behind her and darting behind a nearby pillar. No one seemed to have noticed her, which was a good start.

She darted to another pillar and into an alley, stopping right in front of a large trash bin. Octo Valley was dangerous, so it should be accessed from one of the most heavily-guarded areas. It wouldn't be easy, but maybe if she could snag some clothes...or at least some food.

She clutched at her stomach as it made a small growl. This noise was followed by a small rummaging sound, which made her jump slightly. She peeked out from behind the trash bin, into a small alley.

Within the alley was a tall, black creature with incredibly pointed spikes on top of its head. It turned slowly, to reveal a single, round, green eye.

Any plan for stealth Heishi had was quickly overridden by fear. She let out a shrill shriek, turned completely around, and ran full-speed with her eyes shut tight.

* * *

Spyke stared at the fleeing figure. He had been used to Inklings running from him if they were excessively jumpy, but usually anyone out this late at night would have known who he was.

Spyke gave a mental shrug, and turned back to his Super Sea Snails.

* * *

Heishi ran and ran, and eventually ran smack into something. She slammed full-force into the thing, fell back onto the ground, and opened her eyes. The "thing" she had just crashed into was a large, yellow-colored Inkling wearing a pair of thick-lensed Retro Spec glasses, Green Zip Hoodie, and a pair of Blue Lo-Top shoes. Heishi's eyes widened. The Inkling opened his mouth to say something, but Heishi moved first. She moved her hands directly in front of her face, pulled her legs towards her body.

"P-Please don't splat me!"

The Inkling's mouth opened and closed silently.

"I-I'm not here to h-hurt anyone!" Heishi babbled on. "P-please! Don't splat me! I'll do anything!"

"Shush!" The Inkling snapped, grabbing her arm. Heishi froze, ready to cry.

The Inkling looked around. "Come with me!" He said, and pulled at her arm. Heishi scrambled to her feet and let herself be tugged along. Her mind was racing. Where was he taking her? The police? Even if they didn't splat her, she'd probably be locked up and would never get home.

The Inkling dragged Heishi a block away from the plaza, into a small alley, and stopping right in front of a door to a medium-sized apartment complex. He fumbled with a key for a second, then opened the door.

He proceeded to pull Heishi up 5 flights of stairs, into one of the hallways, and stopping in front of room 517. He fumbled with another key, opened the door, and pulled Heishi into the apartment.

He then shut the door and locked it.

He turned around and took a deep breath.

"THANK YOU FOR NOT SPLATTING ME!"

He coughed a little. "Huh?"

Heishi sat on her knees with her head on the ground. "Really, sir! Thank you, sir! Thank you for showing me mercy!"

"Wha-what are you doing...?"

"You spared my life!" Heishi jumped up and grabbed the Inkling's hands. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart! I must do something to repay you, kind sir!"

"I-ah-wha...?"

"I'll do anything, sir!"

"Anyth...no that's not the point!" He interrupted. "I don't need you to repay me! What are you doing here? Why is an Octoling in Inkopolis?"

"A-ah...that...I...well, i-it started several hours ago..."

She related her story.

"A-and when I woke up, the respawn pad to Octo Valley was offline, and my ink tank was broken, and my goggles were missing..."

The Inkling nodded and made curious look.

"A-and the respawn pad to Inkopolis was open, so I went through it in the hopes that I could find a way back to the valley. I-I really don't mean any harm! I don't even have a weapon!"

She helf both her hands up, then patted her armor in various places.

"S-see? Nothing." She put her hands down. "P-please, sir, I'm scared. I just want to go home. P-please don't call the police. O-or worse, please don't call Agent 3!"

"Agent...three..." The Inkling mused.

"Of the New Squidbeak Splatoon! The one who stole ba...rescued the Great Zapfish! Single-handedly!"

"Uh huh..." The Inkling closed his eyes and frowned. "Look, I don't have any intention of turning you in to the police..."

Heishi's spirit lifted.

"But there are...too many people around to take you to Octo Valley right now."

And fell back down again.

"For now, you...you need to stay out of sight. Stay here. Don't leave this apartment." The Inkling paused. "Then...then I'll find a way to get you back home..."

Heishi lept up and embraced the Inkling in a vice-like hug.

"Thank you! Thank you sir! Thank you for having such mercy!"

"D-don't c-call it mercy! J-just...sleep on the couch! I-I'll ge-get you a blanket and a pillow. A-and...please stop hugging me..."

Heishi immediately let go. "So sorry, sir! I am truly sorry!" The Inkling stared at the ground.

"And s-stop calling me sir! My name is Yuzai! C-call me that!"

"Y-yes! I am Heishi Senso, sir! Mr. Yuzai, sir."

"J-just Yuzai is fine!"

"Yuzai! Sir!"


	4. Chapter 4

Yuzai awoke to two things; a pounding headache, and the sound of rustling in the kitchen. He really wished it had all been a dream, that there was no one called "Heishi Senso" and that they weren't currently living in his apartment, and that he was alone again with no one bothering him.

Unfortunately, as he opened his bedroom door, he was greeted by the lovely sight of the Octoling, currently digging her hand into a box of Crabby Cakes. Her mouth was covered in crumbs. She froze mid-dig.

"I-I'm so sorry! I-I was just really hungry and..."

"No, please don't start apologizing again." Yuzai rubbed his eyes with his hand. "I needed to go get more anyway."

"Thank you, Yuzai sir!"

He sighed, and glanced up at the Octoling. She had bright green eyes that stood out against her purple eye marks. She looked...pitiable. The massive amounts of apologizing and calling him "sir" han't helped her image in that regard.

He sighed again. "I'm going out." He paused as Heishi nodded. "I want you to stay here. And don't touch anything. Don't search around. If you get hungry, eat something, or if you get bored, watch some TV or something..." He gestured vaguely. "Just don't go poking your nose where it doesn't belong."

Heishi nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir!"

Yuzai sighed and walked out of the apartment, locking the door behind him.

* * *

The clock ticked loudly. Heishi sat, unmoving, for a good two minutes before she glanced around her.

The apartment was a mess. Trash, clothes, and various posessions lay strewn about the floor.

Heishi grimaced. She never liked messes...

An idea popped into her head, and she stood up. That was it. To repay Yuzai's kind mercy...

"I'll pick this place up a little!" She announced. And got to work.

* * *

Yuzai sighed as he reached his apartment door. He honestly had no plan regarding the Octoling. He had considered taking her to the police, but her begging almost made him feel bad about doing so. Why was he doing this? She was an Octoling. She could be taking advantage of him. What if she came for information? Then again, that'd be a pretty stupid plan, since any Inkling in their right mind would splat her on sight. Did that mean he was out of his mind? Still though, his apartment specifically...

He heard a small "click" from behind the door, and perked up. He cautiously turned his key, and opened the door slowly.

He was greeted by an Octoling tying off a large trashbag, and a very, almost sparkling, clean apartment. He stared.

"Sir!" Heishi announced. "Welcome home! I promised I would do anything, so I helped clean your apartment, sir! O-oh!" Her face dropped. "B-but you said you didn't want me touching anything. I'm sorry, sir, I disobeyed you."

Yuzai opened his mouth to say something about apologies and "sir" again, then paused and looked Heishi directly in the eyes. He quickly glanced down.

"No, thank you for cleaning up. You did...well, I guess?" He walked over to Heishi and put his groceries down.

Yuzai was unsure what to do. He fumbled with his hands for a second and then, confused more than anything, placed his hand on her head and rubbed a little. Heishi smiled. Yuzai stared for a moment, then smiled himself.

The two were interrupted by the sound of voices coming from the hall. Yuzai lifted his hand off Heishi and listened for a second.

He knew those voices, his face fell.

"Hide." He said.

"Huh?" Heishi had been gently poking the spot he had petted her with her hand.

"Hide!" He grabbed her by the arm and tugged her into his room. He looked around, and then pushed her into the closet, not really forcefully, but enough to make her stumble a little. He grabbed the closet door.

"S-stay put until I come get you. D-don't make a sound." His face was filled with genuine worry.

"H-huh? I...o-ok." Heishi paused, then smiled again. "Whatever you ask, sir!"

Yuzai couldn't help but smile back, but the smile quickly vanished as the voices got louder. He shut the door softly, and Heishi sat in the darkness.


	5. Chapter 5

Yuzai ran out of his room and shut the door behind him before running to his front door. Just as he was about to shut it, a foot planted itself directly on the threshhold.

"Yuzai, buddy!" A blue Inkling wearing a Black 8-Bit FishFry and a pair of Black Trainers, with a Paintball mask tucked under one arm. His name was Shiai. "It's been a while!"

"Tell me about it." A dark violet Inkling wearing a Dark Urban Vest, fake contacts, and a pair of Strapping Whites. His name was Machi. "How's life been treating you?"

"F-fine..." Yuzai said, rubbing his fingers on the door, ready to shut it. "I've been fine."

"You still don't do turf wars, do you?" Machi sighed. "I keep telling you, you're missing out."

"Totally!" Shiai grinned. "Instead you keep yourself cooped up in your stuffy apartment." He made a fake pout. "We worry about you, you know!"

Yuzai shifted uncomfortably.

"Wait a second..."

He stiffened.

"Your apartment!" Shiai exclaimed. "It...it's clean!"

"That's a first." Machi mused. "Your apartment is almost never clean."

"But why would little ol' Yuzai ever clean his apartment, hmm?" Shiai pressed his hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, acting like a psychic. "I sense...I sense that our little Yuzai has himself a gi-irl-frie-end!"

Yuzai grew turned immediately red. "N-no! I-it's not like...she-she's not my..."

"Oh, but 'she', huh?" Machi grinned. "That means there is a girl, right?"

Yuzai grit his teeth and stood in front of the doorway. "N-no, there's...I...there's no girl!"

"Come on, buddy!" Shiai pushed his way past Yuzai and jumped onto the couch, stetching himself across it. "We wont judge. You can tell us everything!"

"No! And get off of there! Hei...I just made it!"

"You cleaning your apartment, just for kicks?" Machi snorted. "Don't make us laugh." He pushed past Yuzai as well and leaned against the kitchen counter.

Yuzai was speechless for a while, then said "Shut up!"

"Man, you're no fun..." Shiai sat up and put himself in a cross-legged position. "Fine, you 'don't have a girlfriend'" He put the sentence in airquotes and stuck out his tongue at the end. "At least talk with us about current events?"

Machi nodded. "Yeah, totally. Like, there's this rumor about this Octoling who was running about late last night..."

* * *

Heishi sat in the darkness for a while. She could hear voices coming from behind the wall, but couldn't make out what they were saying. She sighed.

Yuzai was so kind.

He let her stay out of mercy, he let her eat his food, and now he was even hiding her so she wouldn't be discovered.

The other Inklings might not be so bad if they were more like him.

She smiled. She could barely make out Yuzai's voice from behind the wall.

Suddenly, she heard a beep and nearly let out a squeal. She glanced around. It was almost pitch black in the closet, except for a small crack at the base of the door...

...and a small red light that came from the pile of clothes she was seated on.

Curious, she, quietly, shifted herself around and grasped at the source of the light. Her fingers met a fairly thin, metallic surface covered in indentations and ridges... She pulled it out from under her, and squinted at it.

And her heart fell.

* * *

"Y'ever wonder why we never see Callie and Marie at the same time as those secret agents that got the Great Zapfish back?" Shiai wondered aloud.

"They're secret agents, stupid." Machi shot back. "You don't see them anywhere."

Yuzai was very uncomfortable in this situation. For starters, he had an Octoling sitting in his closet, and his two friends, both avid turf war enthusiests, were sitting right here with him. Not only that, but this conversation...

"I mean, the Octarians as a whole are kinda..." Shiai waved his hands around. "...but the Octolings themselves are kind of..."

"...jerk..."

Both Yuzai and Shiai jumped at the sound of the new voice. Machi just turned.

There stood Heishi. A fully-fledged Octoling, in the middle of Yuzai's apartment. Yuzai's door hung open as a silence filled the air. Yuzai felt a massive surge of panic.

Heishi grit her teeth. "I...to think I almost thought you were nice..."

In her hands hung a small metal object suspended by a strap.

"B-but...you're just like the rest..." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Y-you didn't really show mercy at all, you p-probably just wanted information, or you wanted to splat me yourself, you just wanted to have a little fun before hand..."

Heishi made a teary growl at Yuzai. " _Agent three_." She spat the words. "Why...why did you..."

She threw the thing she was holding at Yuzai and ran, sobbing, straight out the door.

Yuzai fumbled with the goggles he had just caught and stumbled to his feet. "W-wait! Heishi, stop!" He ran after her.

Shiai stared at the scene in bewilderment.

"'Don't have a girlfriend' my foot..." Machi muttered, and leaned his head back.


	6. Chapter 6

Heishi ran, sobbing.

How could she not? That jerk of an Inkling never really cared whether she lived or not. He was probably trying to learn information, or use her as a hostage, or something. It wasn't as if she wanted to be here, he knew she was scared, and he took advantage of that. That jerk of an Inkling, Agent 3, Yuzai.

"W-wait a second!" Heishi didn't turn to look at the source of the voice. Instead, she shut her eyes tight and ran forward.

"Y-you're running into the plaza! Heishi!"

Heishi didn't care. She wasn't even listening. Her thoughts were focused solely on how betrayed she felt. If that meant she was splatted or tackled by an Inkling on her way in, so be it. Better than letting him do it, anyway.

But no one tackled her. In fact, they all scrambled to get out of the way of the crying girl. Many were confused about the presense of an Octoling in the plaza, and some simply gave dirty looks to the guy who was chasing after her, while covering his head with his hands.

"H-Heishi! Wait!"

Heishi made an abrupt turn and climbed a set of stairs. She then hopped onto the railing, and with all her might, lept over a fence. She landed on her feet in some bushes and straightened up, and then glanced back up to where she had jumped from.

Only to see Yuzai's foot hit the railing, slip, and for him to fall flat on top of her.

Heishi squeaked and squirmed under the new, sudden weight.

"H-Heishi, listen to me!" Yuzai struggled to keep her from throwing him off.

Heishi growled, and with all her strength, kicked her leg smack into his 11th tentacle. Yuzai yelped and went limp, and Heishi pushed him off of her.

"JERK!" She shouted at him. "I can't believe I trusted you! I almost let myself think you were being kind!"

Yuzai wobbled to his feet and Heishi delivered a punch right into his face. The frames of his glasses broke.

"All this time...ALL THIS TIME! You were him!" She grabbed him by his shirt collar. "YOU WERE AGENT 3!" She pushed him away with such force that he stumbled and fell to the ground.

"...I'm sorry..."

"SORRY?" Heishi raged. "You said you wouldn't splat me! You said you'd help get me back home! You LIED to me!"

"I...I didn't..."

Heishi delivered another blow.

"Didn't WHAT?" She growled angrily, but tears flowed down her cheeks. "Didn't think I'd find out? Didn't think I'd find that little souveneir you took? Didn't think..."

"I DIDN'T LIE TO YOU!" Yuzai grabbed her shoulders. "I...I didn't lie...about getting you home..."

He dropped his hands down and hung his head.

"I want you to get home. I really do." He rubbed the side of his head where Heishi had hit him.

"Then what's this?!" Heishi grabbed her goggles from the ground and held them up accusingly. "You took these at Moray Towers! You're Agent 3! The one who stole the Great Zapfish! Why should I trust you at all?!"

"I...I'm...not Agent 3..."

"GRAH!" Heishi angrily threw her goggles at the Inkling. A dirty, filthy liar. That's all he is. She turned to leave.

"...Agent 3 is me."

Heishi stopped.

"...maybe I hit you a little to hard, you've got brain damage."

"HEAR ME OUT!" Heishi was a bit startled by this, but didn't leave.

"I'm not Agent 3, Agent 3 is me. Or, rather...Agent 3 is the side of me if I...if..."

He let out a sigh.

"...if I were better." He finished.

Heishi processed this.

"That doesn't make any sense..."

"I have scopophobia! The fear of drawing attention. Shiai and Machi are the only two friends I can have, and...I can't even really deal with them all the time..." Yuzai loosely wrapped his arms around his legs.

"Because of that, I can't do turf wars. I can't even really go out and talk to people. When I do, I get nervous. I can't concentrate. If it goes on for too long, I even pass out..."

He paused.

"Captain Cuttlefish offered me a chance to be a hero in secret. Most of the Octarians don't look humanoid, so I don't get as nervous when they notice me. When the Octolings staged a mission for the first time, well...I got really nervous then. But I was able to push past it, especially since they all wore goggles, and I couldn't tell they were looking at me..."

He sighed.

"I can't even do that any more now..."

Heishi frowned. "...why not?"

"Because..." Yuzai rested his head on his legs. "Because you came along. You were the first Octoling I really spoke with as a person. Even if it was just my lousy threats...and then when you showed up again, and you looked so scared...and you kept focusing your attention all me. Calling me 'sir', thanking me for my 'mercy' all the time, apologizing for the smallest things...I didn't...well...I don't know why, but...it almost felt...nice...to be needed..."

Heishi's rage faded abruptly. "So...all this time...you were afraid...of me?"

Yuzai nodded. "For a little while."

Heishi gasped in realization. "But...but you followed me all the way over here! Through the plaza with..." She paused and glanced up. Sure enough, peering through all along the fence was a line of Inklings and Jellyfish, trying to catch a glimpse of the two.

"That...but...you did all this...even though you're terrified right now...you did it for me?"

Yuzai nodded.

"Yuzai..." Heishi's eyes watered. "Yuzai!" She fell down and hugged him.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I hit you! I'm sorry I called you a liar!"

Yuzai returned the hug. "I'm sorry too! I am a lair! And a jerk! I'm sorry!"

There was a collective of "awws" that came from the crowd, before one voice in particular piped up.

"I hate to break up this lovely scene..." Machi announced loudly. "But the man just said he hates attention. If you want, I can update you all on their status later, but maybe let's give the two lovebirds a little privacy?"

Yuzai and Heishi broke off their hug, and flushed bright crimson.


	7. Chapter 7

The clock ticked.

Heishi and Yuzai sat, heads facing down, on the couch. Machi stood opposite them with his arms folded accross his chest.

"So...Yuzai is that secret agent guy who took back the Great Zapfish when it was stolen..." Yuzai nodded quiety.

"And you met Heishi when the Octolings attacked Moray Towers, and she managed to capture you before passing out after seeing how high up she was." Heishi nodded, equally as silent.

"Right..." Machi cracked a smile. "That story was pretty detailed, though. You kept calling him 'sir'? Why was that?"

"I...I was..." Heishi mumbled. "...afraid he was going to splat me if I were disrespectful..."

"BWAHAHA! Seriously?" Shiai could hardly contain his laughter. He had seated himself on top of the counter, behind Machi. "That kid wouldn't hurt a fly! His phobia would have him sweating bullets before he even drew a weapon!"

"I-I know that now!" Heishi snapped. She twiddled her fingers. "B-but...at the time..."

"You were scared. I get it." Machi finished for her.

A silence filled the room.

"Still..." Machi continued. "You two were really made for each other. Scopophobia...acrophobia...maybe you two should avoid popular, high-up areas when you go on your dates."

"W-we're not dating!" Heishi flushed red.

"Y-yeah!" Yuzai agreed. "A-and besides! I'm doing better! I can handle some attention just fine!"

"Yeah, right...Yuzai, do you even know what color Heishi's eyes are?"

"H-huh? Well, they're..."

Yuzai stared directly at Heishi. Heishi stared directly back. Crystalline green eyes met a more solid blue. Yuzai saw her turn a shade of red so bright that her face seemed to glow. Yuzai turned the same color. Between the two of them you could probably fry an egg.

"I...I...I..." Heishi sputtered. She wanted to look away, but couldn't turn her head.

"G...GREN! I MEAN GWEN! I MEAN GREEN!" Yuzai managed. He turned 180° and buried his face in the pillow. The two of them sat, steaming. Shiai was in such hysterics that he almost fell off his perch.

"Why don't you two just act more honest with yourselves?" Machi wondered aloud.

"I...We...hone..." Heishi sputtered. "But...but...he's an Inkling! I-I'm an Octoling! W...what if...it doesn't work...?"

"You never know unless you try."

Heishi pondered this for a minute.

On the one hand...

He train of thought was interrupted by a small sensation on her left cheek.

Yuzai pulled his lips away from the kiss he just planted.

"H...Heishi S-Senso...I-I really l-l-like you." He turned his eyes away. "I-I'm not good with people. But...maybe...if it were you...I'd be willing to work and make myself better...if that's okay with you..."

Heishi sat stunned.

She sat silent.

She leaned in and quickly planted a kiss on Yuzai's right cheek to mirror her own.

"I-I'd be happy to."

The two embraced each other in a hug, Shiai let out a cheer, and Machi whipped out his phone to tell everyone who had asked for updates on the couple's status.

Heishi smiled. She felt safer than ever before.


End file.
